Nathan Hamilton – Tuscola (1999)

Joining a long list of classic singer/songwriters to come out of Austin, Texas, Nathan Hamilton creates timeless and articulate Americana. Vocally, Hamilton brings to mind a slightly more ragged Lyle Lovett, though his eye for detail in creating vivid images that take the listener directly into the story is similar to the late Townes Van Zandt. Lost teeth, Bibles, tobacco, and bar fights, Hamilton's narratives are of such a nature that listeners may find themselves reading ahead in the written lyrics out of eagerness to see how the story ends. That's not to say that Hamilton's song arrangements are boring, as the soulful carnival bounce of "Outlaw's Lament" and swinging bluegrass of "Roots" will attest. The high-charged blues of "Two Penny Vengeance" borrows ever so slightly from Bob Dylan's "Masters of War," with an angry Vietnam vet returning to get revenge on the banker that foreclosed on his family farm while he was away at war. In other places, such as the mid-tempo country-pop of "Spent," Hamilton uses fairly simple descriptions to find strangely tangible moods. Such images are indicative of the rich array of characters Hamilton creates, familiar and altogether believable. Overall, Tuscola is everything good Americana should be.~Matt Fink